Terror From The Past
by KarineNachigeru
Summary: CoWritten with Cruel EffluviumS. Hiroki past comes back to haunt him and Nowaki in a nearly deadly way. Sequel in the works


"_**Terror From The Past"**_

The day started out much the started out much the same as any other. Hiroki was roused from his slumber for work by Nowaki and they had their usual morning banter. But for some reason he had a feeling that something was off. Though he couldn't put his finger on it. 'Must just be the lack of sleep...all these late nights must have finally caught up to me.' he thought in reference to his recent double shifts at work to cover for a recently fired employee. And so with a great yawn and heavy limbs he began to stumble his way around their apartment as he got ready for work.

Smiling to himself in the way he always did in the mornings, Nowaki shuffled the frying pan in his hands and flipped the egg he was cooking on its surface, seconds away from sliding it onto a toasted piece of bread for his lover to have for breakfast. As he did this he glanced at the other man, watching as he bustled around getting read for work, his smile growing just that much bigger. "You seem a little more tired than usual, Hiro-san," he said in an attempt to get their banter back in full swing, the silence pleasant but he preferred the sound of Hiroki's voice a lot more.

"Hmm? Yeah, must just be the recent late nights. Having been getting much sleep is all.' he replied distractedly, rubbing his eyes as he glanced around his room in a futile search for his tie. All the while pointedly ignoring the foreboding feeling that was plaguing his mind. 'Geez, get a grip. Whats wrong with you?' he chided himself. Though he knew what was wrong, or at least what he expected was wrong. The thing was, and he'd never mention this to Nowaki for fear of worrying the other man, lately on his walks home from work he had had the feeling that something, or rather someone was watching him, and he couldn't say who or why. But nonetheless it bothered him greatly, and recently he'd been waking in the early hours of the morning, thinking he had heard a bump of bang or some soft before dismissing it as his imagination before curling closer to Nowaki as his waited for sleep to reclaim him.

"Hey Nowaki have you seen my tie?" he asked as he gave up the search, and as a sorty of ploy to distract his lover from his current disheveled state.

Nowaki, when it came to Hiroki and work, was very hard to distract when he was concentrating on one of those two things, so his lover's attempts to push the focus off of himself wasn't working; plus, his dark eyes had already zoned in on the supposedly missing tie in his peripheral. Sliding the egg he was cooking onto a piece of toast already prepared on a plate, he sprinkled just the slightest bit of salt and pepper and walked out of the kitchenette silently, snagging the tie off the end of the counter he walked passed as he approached the smaller man, his ever present smile on his face. Handing the plate to Hiroki, he wordlessly wrapped the piece of clothing around the other man's neck and tied it from the front effortlessly, gently patting the knot when he was finished.

"There you are, Hiro-san," he said pleasantly, looking his lover in the eye. He was aware of the almost jittery way the brunet was holding himself, as if he was expecting something to jump out of the shadows and get him, but he couldn't figure out why; he hadn't really noticed it completely until he'd been partially awake one night and realized how disconcerted Hiroki was becoming that it was bothering his ability to sleep. He hadn't minded that it brought them closer at night, but he couldn't be fully happy with the occurrence when it was obvious now that his lover wasn't getting his proper sleep and seemed out of it, unlike his usually focused self.

Holding Hiroki's gaze for a long, silent minute, the smile fell from Nowaki's face and was replaced with a mildly (as not to upset his lover in case he was imagining things, although he doubted he was but you could never be too careful with the professor) concerned expression. "Is everything okay, Hiro-san? You look like you're watching your back in case a ninja attacks...Miyagi-san hasn't been telling you horror stories or anything, has he?" he inquired gently, feeling a tinge of anger, although slight, twist in his stomach for the older man if he /was/ the reason for his lover's paranoia.

"Tanks…" Hiroki mumbled out around the piece of toast he currently had jammed into his mouth as his lover finished tying his tie for him. Hiroki couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his mouth. Nowaki was loyal to a fault and it was obvious he still didn't entirely like Miyagi. "No he hasn't. He's actually been rather docile lately. Almost preoccupied, I think he may have finally found his special someone." he added offhandedly. "And to answer your question, yes I'm fine, really. I told you I'm jut tired is all no need to worry." he reassured, his voice lacking the conviction of his words.

'You've got enough on you plate as is without e adding y probably paranoid disillusions to it.' Hiroki thought with slight amusement. 'Maybe I just so tired I've actually started to imagine things? That would at least explain a lot of what I think has been happening lately.' he said conferring with himself. 'Yeah surely that must be it.' he added putting a hand under his chin in a contemplative manner.

"Anyway, thanks for the food but I have to get going." he said as he made a grab for his jacket a work case.

"Nowaki wanted to believe in his Hiro-san, to believe that the man was really as okay as he was making himself out to be, but there was something in the way the older man looked, the way he spoke...it all just seemed a little off; enough to unsettle him deep down, and he didn't know how to handle it exactly. Trying not to look too worried, as he knew Hiroki wouldn't like it, he lightly grabbed his lover's wrist before he was out the door, making the two of them share a meaningful look for a moment before he forced a little, calm smile and said, "If there's anything you need, or you just want to go home together, I'll do what I can to make it happen, Hiro-san...have a good day at work."

Hiroki's eyes widened a bit as he was suddenly grabbed, and for a moment he had expected Nowaki's typical departing kiss. But when he turned to face his lover he was surprised to see the stern seriousness set in the other mans eyes. "R-right, thanks. Well ja ne (goodbye)." he stuttered out his mind mulling lover a thousand different thoughts from work, the strange nightly occurrences, and everything in-between. But mostly they settled around Nowaki and his expression. His words. That man never ceased to astound him. Somehow his lover was able to read him more simply than a child's book. Though normally this fact would have irritated him beyond words, he could help but to be grateful at that moment. That simple fact, and the words from his lover had helped to reassure him, if only slightly. So with a small smile now upon his lips, and a little less weight on his mind than before Hiroki glanced at his watch and uttered a small curse. If he didn't hurry, he was going to be late….again. He sighed as he began to jog his way towards the school, but the closer he got the more unease he began to feel. It was as if someone was watching him again. He continued for a few moments longer before he stopped, breathing heavily, his eyes darting around his surroundings, searching for…he didn't know what. Someone that looked suspicious or out of place maybe? He couldn't be certain.

He put a hand to his head and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. There was no one there, apart from the usual students and his fellow colleges. 'Get a grip! Your just outside the gates, there is no one here that doesn't belong, and you are certainly just imagining things!' he scolded himself silently, shaking his head and hurrying through the school gates. Desperate for once to find Miyagi and start their usual morning banter. He needed a distraction, and Miyagi was sure to warrant his full irritation and therefore his full attention as well. Then things could fall back in routine. He would go about his day classes, stay late grading papers and exams or making study guides, or notes to help his students before preparing for the night class he had temporarily picked up to help with the recent employee loss. Normally he would've gone out to eat, but as of late he had preferred to stay inside and just bring a meal from home. Such was the growing severity of his situation, much as he wished to deny it.

"Geez calm down, really, what is wrong with me?" he muttered to himself after his late class had finally run out. 'well I suppose I shouldn't linger here much longer' he mused, referring to the fact that even though the class he had taught had let out nearly two hours ago, he still found himself sitting in his office, trying to drag out his times so that he could remain in a familiar place. He wouldn't rightly admit it but he was…scared. He wasn't sure what do to either. He couldn't stay here all night. And Nowaki was at work, maybe thought just maybe his lover could talk to him on his way home? Or so was his hope, just hearing his voice would have been a reassurance. He sent a message asking if Nowaki had a break soon, or could even talk. But he did not receive a reply. And some thirty minutes later he had to slap himself. 'What is this? You are full grown man! Get it together, seeking you younger lovers comfort over something so trivial?' his mind ranted, and loath as he was to admit it. He had to go home, with or with Nowaki's call.

That decision as it would turn out, would be a dangerous mistake.

It was a couple hours after which he usually was able to go home, but Nowaki had had an emergency: one of the children in his care had had an allergic reaction to a medically-necessary lotion another child had freshly applied to their skin. It'd been madness, first getting the child into a stable condition, then getting them comfortable for the night, reassuring their parents that everything was fine, and lastly he'd had to spend quite a bit of time consoling the little girl who's lotion had made the other child sick. Thankfully now everything seemed in order, and Nowaki could go home.

As he stripped himself of his doctor's coat and got his things together to leave, Nowaki noticed he had a text from Hiroki, making him smile a little as he opened it up; the smile was immediately lost when he actually read the message. It sounded a bit rushed, almost scared, and asked him if they could talk on the phone while the professor walked home...that wasn't something Hiroki usually asked of him, not unless something was bothering him. And that fact alone had Nowaki rushing out the door, especially when he saw that it had almost been the full two hours ago he'd had his emergency that his lover had tried to contact out the door and down the street, Nowaki pressed the phone to his ear and began to call Hiroki. 'Please let Hiro-san be alright,' he thought to himself desperately, feeling that he was just getting more and more anxious the longer he went without hearing from his lover. Nowaki hoped he was just over-reacting.

At first when Hiroki left the office things seemed fine, despire his earlier worries. But about fifteen minutes into the walk home he began to get that feeling again. As if someone was watching him, and unlike all the times before, it was incessant and menacing. He couldn't help it his pace began to pick up at and ever increasing rate, his heart pounding in his ears. This wasn't his imagination, or if it was it was shockingly realistic. By the time he reached the next street corner he had to stop to catch his breath, he had been running for what felt like forever, but was really likely only a few minutes. A few very long unsettling minutes. However it seemed that the feeling from before had passed, and Hiroki took this time to take in his surroundings. Everything appeared normal for the most park, save for what was most certainly just another human being, but for some reason unbeknownst to him Hiroki found his gaze locked on that person, his breath shallow and labored. He prayed it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, but he was all to well aware that they were not. Because before him stood a man that he had not thought to ever see again. A man who had once been someone he called friend. A friend who had used and abused him, someone he thought he had left far behind in his past.

A million different question were races through his mind in that moment. How did this man find him? Why was he here? What did he want? Was he the one who had been watching him all this time? For what purpose, to what end? Moreover how did this person get out of jail so soon? But more than that Hiroki was terrified to find out this mans current intent. For as these thoughts raced through his mind the man had began to approach Hiroki. Slowly, almost like a hunter who had at last corned his prey. At first Hiroki was frozen with shock, but the sudden advance of the man before him brought him back to reality and as the man advanced he began to subtly step back, his instincts told him to never take his eyes off this person, to not turn his back. And as much as he wished he could just turn around and sprint aware he knew it was for the best, this man was much taller then he, a bit taller than Nowaki and he was well built to, like an athlete. No, running most certainly would not be the wisest move he could make right now.

Hiroki's eyes began to search for the best route, his focus never entirely leaving the man before him. It was of little use though the only way away from this man was past him, or back towards the school. Both the side streets lead to dead ends, and going back would only exhaust and further trap him. But if he could somehow get by the man then he could hopefully out run him long enough to make it back home, to Nowaki, and safety. But that in and of itself was a huge problem. Just how in the hell was he supposed to overcome a man near twice his size and strength. What felt like hours past as they continued this game, neither gaining nor losing ground, just maintain their current distance. 'This can't continue, I have to try to get by him…but how? He to big to overpower, and to tall and fit to out run. Aha, I'll just have to use my best asset then, my mind.' Hiroki concluded. "Lets see what can I use to my benefit, I have my suitcase and my jacket, I could use those as distractions to hinder him as I get away, with any luck this guys not too bright.' he prayed he was right, but feared he was wrong.

Abruptly Hiroki stopped moving "What the HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" he practically screamed finally finding his voice and hoping perhaps that someone may have heard him. Though at this time of night that was none to likely. This sudden pout burst seemed to catch the other man off guard slightly for he paused. It didn't last long though before he began moving again, his mouth forming into an unsettling smile. "Why my dear Hiroki, I just want to play. I've missed you dearly, and while I was aware all I could think about was you, and what fun I had that time." the man replied his tone of voice disturbing enough to make Hiroki's skin crawl. Gradually the mans words sunk in and as they did Hiroki's face drained of all color. Leaving his skin a ghastly ashen shade. "Ahhhh I see you've finally remember me fully." the man said with something akin to a purr, but much more terrifying. "I'm so pleased that I found you…"

'No! Don't listen, focus! I need to focus! He's close now, its almost time.' Hiroki reprimanded himself, drowning out the mans thought and preparing to enact his plan. The man was close now, nearly within touching distance. That was plenty close enough, he took his chance. Just as the man began to reach out for him, Hiroki swung his bag, striking the man square in the face, next he threw his jacket over the mans face and made a break for it. He darted around the dazed man and took off at a full sprint toward his home, towards Nowaki.

He was nearly there when it all went wrong., One moment he was running the next he was hit by something from behind and was sent hurling toward the unforgiving concrete.

The initial impact forced all the breath from his body and left him dazed for a few moments. His mind was screaming at him to get up and run but his body was slow to respond, and painstakingly he managed to stagger to his feet, his head swimming and his vision blurred. 'Must've hit my head' he surmised raising a head to his forehead, and sure enough when he pulled it away it was coated in a sticky warm substance.

"My dear dear Hiroki, always doing things that hard way." came the words the seemingly froze the blood in Hiroki's veins. He tried then and there to run, but it was too late. Before he could even turn to face the man he was being jerked backwards at an alarming rate, and he reacted subconsciously, lashing out with his fist. To his utter surprise it landed on the mans face. It must have been a shock to the man too, because the disturbing smile and delight in the mans eyes quickly changed to a menacing glare and a snarl. Hiroki didn't even have time to ponder what might the man might do to him before he was roughly shoved into a nearby brick wall. If the impact with the ground had been painful then this was excruciating, Hiroki could feel his wrist shattering and his shoulder being forced out of place. And if he wasn't concussed before, he certainly was now, if the fresh stream of blood into his field of vision and his sudden inability to focus on anything or formulate a thought were any indication.

'This is bad…really bad,. I'm starting to drift, but I can't…I need…he's going…I've got to…'his thoughts were a jumbled mess, new ones forming before previous ones were completed. However, as he felt himself being dragged up by the collar of his shirt there was only one coherent resounding thing running through his head was 'I need you…' "Nowa…ki…" was the whispered hope as his body failed him and he was left at the mercy of this monster of a man.

Having given up on the phone call within moments, knowing that Hiroki either answered or he didn't, making the decision in seconds, Nowaki had really hoped he'd have picked up; then this excruciating knot forming in his gut would've untangled. But as it was he was in a full state of panic, while at the same time trying to be as composed as he could possibly manage. He needed to find his Hiro-san, and he needed to do it /now/, otherwise he felt like he was going to lose the man forever. And that...was the worst feeling in the doctor didn't even know where he was running to by this point, following his instincts completely, and wound up dashing full past Hiroki's work and down the path he would've gone to get home. His labored breathing and light sheen of sweat on his brow meant nothing to Nowaki, in fact if he was hit by a car right now that wouldn't have stopped him; his lover was all that mattered to him at that moment, and he felt like he was getting closer to him somehow.

"Hiro-San!" Nowaki screamed, heading into an eerily empty, older suburban area that had a very unwelcoming aura to it. He called out to his beloved once more and heard no reply, but just as he felt like he was beginning to go mad without any sign of the older man he heard something...it sounded like soft, but deep-throated speech, as well as grunts of pain. Instinct kicked in at an all time high at this moment as Nowaki bolted down the street and rounded a corner, his eyes widening at what he was the man he'd been looking for, his face smeared with his own blood and a strange, larger figure yanking Hiroki up by his collar. Nowaki saw red. He moved without thinking, getting Hiroki out of the man's grasp first before starting a power struggle with his opponent, many punches and kicks and even biting going on between the two of them. Eventually Nowaki and the other guy were so bloodied and bruised it was hard for one to distinguish the other from a light post, but even then the midnight-haired man wanted to hit him, to hurt him...to make him pay for every little scratch he'd put on his beloved's body.

Before he could continue to pound the guy, however, sirens screamed at a distance, signalling they were about to be interrupted by a very public display of justice. Nowaki didn't mind this, but the other man landed him with the coldest of glares before running off, leaving the doctor to limp over to his lover and hold him ever so gently in his grasp, swiping his bangs to the side to get a better look at the gashes that were on Hiroki's forehead. 'Looks like he'll be okay...' Nowaki thought to himself in relief, wishing his black eye didn't make it so hard to see; he'd just perform an examination and be completely sure himself right there if he could see properly."Hiro-san...Hiro-san," Nowaki chanted softly, sadly to himself as he pulled the older man close while on his knees, the authorities and an ambulance not too far away. "I'm so- so sorry I wasn't here fast enough."

Hiroki's attacker fled as the sirens echoes drew near, he couldn't afford to tango with the authorities right now. 'Damn that man! I was so close, he was in my grasp!' he raged referring to Nowaki's sudden arrival and the resulting loss of his target. "Well, guess I'll just have to eliminate one more obstacle. The games only just begun after all. This new development just makes things that much more interesting." he mused sadist pleasure lacing his tone, his eyes cold as death and a Cheshire grin spread across his face. 'Till next time then, boys~" he said as he turned and disappeared down the dark abandoned streets and faded back into the night.

Hiroki had fallen into darkness, he didn't know how long he had been there but what had in reality had only been minutes had felt like eons to him. Slowly a ringing began to permeate threw the darkness, followed by the warmth and comfort of a most welcome and familiar embrace. "Nowa…" he breathed out in a weak rasp, his eyes narrowed-nearly closed- from the pain in his body. "Nowa!" he gasped trying to bolt up as he got a look at his lover, the man he loved was beaten and a bit bloody. "Nowaki what happened are you alright?" he asked in hast his own injuries and pain forgotten in his worry for his love. "What on earth happened to you?" he said as he reached out for his beloveds face.

But Nowaki just continued to look back at his sadly, and this perplexed him greatly. Why was his lover, a man who was usually so energetic and vibrant, being so quiet and why did he look so sad…"Wait, that man…he…where….what?" he exclaimed suddenly remembering what had happened and why he was here. However, as his realization dawned, and the whaling sirens in the background grew ever closer his energy began to gradually dissipate. He could no longer find the energy to formulate his thoughts into proper sentences. Instead he found himself sinking back down against his lovers chest, a blackness tugging at the recesses of his mind, dimming his sight and dulling his mind. "Now….aki?" he stuttered, desperate to know that his beloved was there and wouldn't leave him.

Nowaki had been so overcome with emotion, and raging thoughts, that when Hiroki had finally opened his eyes and showed him that he was well enough to speak...he'd lost his voice. All those thoughts in his head had flooded out through his ears effortlessly, and as much as he wanted to say something he couldn't; there was a lump lodged in his throat the size of his heart...hell, it might've /been/ his heart for all he knew. He just couldn't describe how terribly relieved he was that Hiroki was alive and still with him. However, as a doctor, he also knew that his lover wasn't completely out of the woods yet, and the ambulance that had finally arrived on scene would need to make /sure/ he was going to come out of this Hiroki's hand as the man began to fade into unconsciousness again, Nowaki forced his voice past the obstacle in his trachea and whispered, "It's going to be okay, Hiro-san, I won't leave your side for a moment." And Nowaki kept that promise, thanking everything in creation that he was a doctor and thus had the clearance to remain by the older man's bedside throughout the entire process of getting to the hospital, getting into the ER, and going through the other many processes before Hiroki was finally settled in a room, with only Nowaki there to keep him company and listen to the hear-rate monitor beep melodiously through the night.

Nowaki had denied treatment, plenty competent enough to work on himself, but a nurse had insisted that she at least give him a quick check-up and he'd relented only on the condition that they could do so in Hiroki's room. She'd agreed and been in and out within 20 minutes, Nowaki's injuries more surface bruises and scrapes than anything internal, although the man was hiding the fact that his ribs were hurting a great deal; none of it mattered, not until he knew his lover would be completely okay. And as the night flew on by into the early morning, Nowaki never once moved his eyes away from Hiroki's face, sleep staying as far from his mind as he could force it.

Those simple words from Nowaki had set Hiroki's mind at ease and he gladly welcomed the darkness that embraced his mind then, his lips forming a small grateful smile before he finally gave into unconsciousness and knew no more.

As the hours passed, an assortment of doctors and nurses filtered through the room the two men occupied. Checking on his vitals, updating the charts, and conducting various exams. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning had come that the battered couple, one who sat half asleep in his chair, the other resting on the bed, that a doctor finally entered the room.

The man paused for a moment to review the chart he held in his hand before entering further into the room. "Excuse me, Mr. Kasuma I presume?" he said in way of acknowledgement. "I am Doctor Hatori, and I am here to give you the full diagnosed extent of Mr. Kamijou's injuries. The good news is his life isn't in any immediate danger. It seems he fought back quite vigorously, and it probably saved his life, had he been still many of these wounds could have been lethal, or permanently damaging. However, the injuries he did sustain were quite serious." the doctor began, pausing as a thought hit him.

"But I digress, you yourself are a doctor and so perhaps it'd be best if I let you see the chart." he proposed, offering Nowaki the chart containing the details of Hiroki's testing and the condition of his body, as well as the severity of his injuries.

"Nowaki merely nodded in silence, having yet to get that damn lump out of his throat, but retained a serious expression nonetheless as he looked the chart over with knowledgeable eyes. By the blue and purple contusions surrounding one of Hiroki's wrists made the note of it being broken not much of a surprise to the young doctor, but the fact that they'd have to operate on it later to remove stray bone fragments from entering the blood stream and doing more harm made Nowaki's stomach turn a little; something about the image of his lover being under the knife, no matter how minor an operation, was hard to swallow. Then there was the dislocated shoulder, which Nowaki had been able to pop back into place himself while in the ambulance truck since the other ETs had been scrambling to do other things. It currently was wrapped in a good layer of bandages, an icepack embedded in the wrapping to ensure little pain. That left the concussion and the blunt force trauma Hiroki had suffered to the head; the best news with that was the location their assailant had chosen to smack the professor was a relatively safe one, and bled more than it did any actual damage. However, that didn't leave Hiroki completely safe.

the smaller man having not woken up yet since he'd last lost consciousness, there were many worrisome notations on the charts about the possibility of Hiroki falling into a slight, to severe coma, and the pocket of blood that was forming under the injury to his skull was putting pressure on his brain and not helping the situation any; there would have to be a surgery done first thing in the morning (which Nowaki observed would only be a couple hours from now) since it stayed fairly stable overnight, but needed to be taken care of immediately when their resources (the right doctors and nurses and an OR) were it was possible Nowaki was sitting even heavier in his chair, as if the gravity around him was thicker, and sat like bricks of lead against his shoulders. If only he was better at surgery he'd ask to be apart of it, but the most he could do was act as a nurse and assist, or even more likely watch from the observation room; he was too emotionally invested in Hiroki to be of much use inside the operating room. But that didn't make not being able to do anything for the one he loved any easier to a hand covering his face, the other holding out the chart for the doctor to reclaim, Nowaki said in a small voice, "When will the operation take place?"

"As soon as possible, preferably. However there are many things that may affect his surgery time. First of all well need to have all the proper forms, we need to know if he's allergic to any medications, and if he has any medical conditions that we should be aware of before the operation." the doctor stated, needing to have all the information before they proceeded any further.

Fortunately for them all it seemed that this Nowaki man had this information. 'The patient has no known allergies to medication, and no outstanding medical conditions that might contribute to the procedure apart from his current wounds.' the doctor thought, mulling over this newly received information. "This is great Nowaki-kun, with this information we should likely be able to operate in as little as an hour or two perhaps, we'll first need to prep the operation room and double check all procedures and stats, but this looks promising" he said with a half cocked smile on his face as he all but flew out of the room and down the hall in order to make the necessary preparations.

Meanwhile, in the depths of his mind, Hiroki felt as if he was floating. Lost adrift in an unknown sea of pure darkness. 'What's…going on….where am I…?' he wondered as he drifted amongst the endless blackness that surrounded him. 'Its so cold here…' he shivered suddenly, him arms wrapping around his body as if to try and stave off the uncomfortable cold sensation, but to no avail. '..where's Nowaki when you need him…' he thought as a startling memory of blood and pain flashed threw his mind along with a shadowed man that invoked feelings of terror and anger within him and there was also a distant voice there too, one that resounded memories of love and happiness within his heart. "….-owaki…wher…?" he tried to speak but his voice was so broken, so quiet that it could barely even be considered a whisper.

Hiroki could've merely breathed his words and Nowaki would've heard them, his ears so finely tuned to the slightest change in his lover's condition. That's why, at the tiniest of sounds, the pediatric doctor snapped his neck in the older man's direction, his eyes wide and concerned and swimming with many emotions. "Hiro-san!" Nowaki called out, and yet somehow managed to remain sounding gentle rather than panicked. Pressing his hands against the side of his lover's bed, hovering over him but trying not to be overbearing, Nowaki stared into Hiroki's face, hoping that the other would look at him.

Hiroki's eyes were mere slits as he stared into his love's face, dozens of question circling his mind but the only on he could formulate was "What…?". It had to be enough, he needed answer and he could only hope that Nowaki was able to read him as well as he always had in the past and answer all his unspoken questions.

Meanwhile, the progression of time for Hiroki's operation seemed to be near completion. "Fantastic, thank you." the doctor said to the nurse who had just finished assisting his with the submission of all the necessary forms.

"My pleasure." she replied with a smile. "I do hope you patient recovers well after the operation." she added with a hint of flirtation.

"Ah thank you, I share that hope." the doctor commented making his retreat back toward the room with his patient. 'This is better than I had hoped at this rate he'll be in and out of surgery before the days is out.' the doctor thought happily as he neared his patients room.

Unable to contain himself, Nowaki bent further forward, wrapping Hiroki in his arms as tenderly and carefully as possible, burying his face against the man's nape. That had been all he needed, just /something/ to show that his lover had heard him, that he was still alive and breathing. Nowaki was close to tears as he forced his voice to work, trying his hardest to keep all the emotions flooding him at bay. "I-I'm sorry, Hiro-san...I should've gotten there faster, I should have answered my phone when you needed me...I-If I'd just been there...you wouldn't be /here/," he whimpered softly, nearly speaking in a whisper, his voice cracking every couple of words.

Hiroki's eyes widened in surprise. 'He's blaming himself for this the idiot! He saved me…if he hadn't…' his thoughts trailed off as he gazed into his lover's face. "Nowaki…" he said gently. "Listen to me, you have no reason to apologize for. If not for you, I wouldn't even be here right now. And besides…" he said trailing off for a moment, a distant look in his eyes.

"Look there's something you should know Nowaki…that man, nothing would have stopped him. If he hadn't gotten me this time, he would have at another. I'm just lucky I have you. You saved me and I…I just….thank you, Nowaki." he said sincerely, his eyes watery but shining with true gratitude and absolute love.

Nowaki didn't know what to say. He was usually fairly good at taking someone's word for something, so long as they said whatever it was flat out, but this was an entirely different situation; he'd never been so filled with fear before in his life. Nothing came even remotely close to this. And so, as much as he wanted to believe he'd really done the best he could, Nowaki, deep down, was still riddled with guilt. For the time being, however, he just burrowed a little closer to Hiroki and made an acknowledging sound against the man's neck, truly thankful that, if nothing else, his beloved was alive and would hopefully make it out of this without too much questions he had in regard to 'that man' could wait until they were out of the hospital.

Hiroki smiled tiredly at Nowaki, grateful that his love was understanding, and more than that he felt glad to be alive and in the arms of the one he held closet to his heart. "It's going to be okay, Nowaki….I'll be fine." he said softly as he fell into an exhausted sleep, slumping against his lover fully.

It was a moment later that the knock came, followed shortly by the doctor opening the door and entering the room. "Mr. Kasuma." he acknowledged with a nod, as the other man gently laid his lover down and covered him with the hospital sheets. "I have some good news, it seems everything has been sorted out and we can now take Mr. Kamijou up for surgery." Doctor Hatori said with a slight smile. "A nurse should be in to transfer him shortly." he added as he left the two alone with a slight nod.

Things flowed quickly after that, the nurse came just a few moments after the doctors departure and Hiroki was rolled up to the surgery room, Nowaki following close behind.

The surgery itself was completed with no real complications, and Hiroki was out and in recovery not long after, his beloved Nowaki by his side the entire time. Now all that they could do was wait and be patient as Hiroki recovered and after that things would return to normal. For a time at least, but peace never lasts and the past will come back to haunt the couple once again.


End file.
